The Road Trip
by AKay1297
Summary: When Clarke's car breaks down in Indiana on her way across the country with Bellamy to Octavia and Lincoln's wedding, sparks fly. Both the good and bad kinds. Stuck a thousand miles from the wedding and unable to afford a plane ticket, they're forced to settle their differences and work things out between them. And with the love bug in the air, anything could happen.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey, everyone! I'm so glad to be back! This show has completely consumed me. I've been sick, and I think I've already watched it through like three times. And every time, it kills me that Bellamy and Clarke aren't together! So here's my Bellarke fic. It's AU in the modern world, but it's still definitely in character. It will contain a few other couples, but Bellarke will be the main focus. I hope you guys like it, and as always, read, review, and enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own The 100.**

* * *

 **Chapter One**

"Guess what, bitch? I'm getting married next week!" Octavia Blake's voice screamed across the phone as her best friend Clarke Griffin held it to her ear.

"I know, that's why I'm packing in such a damn hurry. I have to leave tomorrow if I'm gonna make it for your week of festivities. Seriously, who has a week-long wedding ceremony?" Clarke asked, pausing from her furious tossing of her clothes into a suitcase. Due to the short engagement, Clarke couldn't get a plane ticket across the country from LA to Portland, Maine without paying out the ass for it. So she was driving. Across the country. In her ancient Volvo. Alone.

"It's not a week-long wedding. It's a week of family bonding and preparations before our friends arrive to celebrate our marriage."

"Same thing, Octavia." Clarke grabbed a hairbrush and threw it into the bag. "And I have to leave at four thirty in the morning if I want to get to you in three days."

"About that…" Clarke knew that tone. Octavia was about to spring something on her, and it wasn't going to be good.

"No, no, no, no, Octavia, you can't do this to me!"

"It's not a big deal! I swear! It's just…. Bellamy kind of needs a ride."

Clarke could probably have handled anything but that. Bellamy Blake was Octavia's older brother. And as much as Clarke loved Octavia, she despised her brother equally as much. If not more. He was smarmy and condescending and he hated Clarke. And he was a complete asshole.

"Octavia, I love you. You know I would do just about anything for you. But if you put Bellamy and I in a car together for three days, someone is going to roll off the side of the road in a body bag."

"Please, Clarke? You know what happened to his house. He can't afford a plane ticket right now." Shit. Clarke had just about forgotten about that.

Two weeks before they were supposed to be in Portland, Bellamy's house had caught fire. Apparently his friend Miller hadn't completely put out a cigarette, and the curtains caught fire, and then the rest of the house. He had nothing until his insurance money came in. As it was, he still lost all his clothing, his photos, his family cookbook his mother had given to him when he'd enlisted in the army. All the money he made at Miller's private security firm was currently going to the hotel room he was staying in until he could get insurance money. And he'd bought some clothes.

Clarke had known the Blake family almost all her life, since they'd moved to Portland when Clarke and Octavia were in fifth grade. The girls had become instant friends, but Bellamy had never liked her. Part of it had to do with his insane drive to protect Octavia at any cost, and she had no clue what the other part was. Truth be told, she'd had a crush on him as a kid. Up until high school when she realized he was never going to treat her any better and the boobs that were filling in were attracting other guys. And since Bellamy had always felt the need to be obnoxious to her, she decided to return the favor. The rest was history.

"You know how to make a girl feel bad, don't you?"

"Not just any girl. You're special."

"I hate you."

"No, you don't. You're just jealous I'm have sex on the regular and you can't remember the last time you got laid."

"I can remember it! Stop saying I need to have sex, I'm fine."

"You're wound up tighter than a spring. I mean, I know you've always been a little uptight. But you've been even worse ever since you moved to LA."

"You know, I think it might be Bellamy. It's like his awfulness is spread through the air and I'm finally close enough to get infected."

"Okay, my brother is not a sci-fi villain, and I really think he's changed. This fire has had a big effect on him."

Clarke sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I'll believe it when I see it."

"So you'll take him?"

"Tell him to be ready by four AM tomorrow morning. And he better drive part of the way." Split driving time. Look at the upsides, Clarke told herself.

* * *

Bellamy Blake stood outside his hotel at 3:55 AM sharp on Friday morning. Clarke had even made a point to get there early, just to have the satisfaction of telling him he was late if he came down even thirty seconds after four. Damn him for ruining her pettiness.

Clarke hopped out of the car, her blonde hair wet from the shower. She hadn't bothered with makeup and she wore a pair of old yoga pants with a baggy sweater. She definitely wasn't looking her best. Not that she needed to impress Bellamy, but she didn't want to give him any more ammunition than she already did just by being herself.

"Morning, Princess," he said as he began loading his bags into the trunk. That nickname was yet another thing that annoyed her about him. She'd told him repeatedly not to call her that, but he continued. She'd given up at this point.

"I'm driving first," Clarke said, ignoring his greeting.

"I see you haven't had your coffee yet this morning." For some reason, he was trying to make conversation. She had no idea why, but he was definitely up to something.

"I don't drink coffee."

"Of course you do. You can't make it through a morning without a cup. But black. At least you don't have the sugar jitters."

Damn him for being right. And damn him for knowing that. How did he know that?

"Yeah, well, I've had my coffee. I promise you I won't crash the car."

"Not what I'm worried about."

"What exactly are you worried about, Bellamy?"

"The chances of you killing me on this trip are greatly reduced if you've had your coffee."

And he was right yet again. "I can't kill you, Blake, I took a Hippocratic Oath."

"How'd you manage to get so much time off from the clinic?"

"I haven't taken vacation time in years. Most people don't think doctors get vacation time, but we do. I have about four weeks saved up."

She could feel Bellamy's eyes on her. She knew she didn't look great, but he didn't have to gawk, did he?

"You look different."

"Power of makeup. I would think you, the great seducer of women, would know that by now. Most women wear it, but I didn't want to put in the effort this morning."

"You don't need it." But he didn't deny the 'great seducer of women' comment. That pissed her off.

"Because nothing could fix this face, right?"

"That's not what I meant and you know it. Stop being a brat."

"Let's just ride in silence, shall we? We can switch when we need to get gas."

"Sounds perfect." At least now he was back to his usual self, which was comforting. Bellamy being nice was just weird. Even if it was only because of some twisted sense of gratitude.

* * *

Because they were switching off driving, they could sleep in between shifts. They'd been driving for a day and a half when it happened. Thirty minutes after they'd stopped at a gas station in Gary, Indiana at three in the afternoon, the car started making a strange squeal. They might not have noticed it, had it not been for the extreme uncomfortable silence that had passed between the pair since their initial argument.

"What's that noise?" Clarke asked, perking up in the passenger seat.

"I'm not a mechanic, Clarke. I don't know what it is." Bellamy rolled his eyes at her.

Luckily for Bellamy, they were rolling into a town. Clarke's phone and a quick Google search told her there was an auto body shop on Main Street. "Pull in right there." She indicated a driveway on the small road they were headed down.

When the car came to a stop, the pair of them got out and walked around to the front of the car. A grizzled older man in overalls walked out of the garage, with a grease-stained bandana in his hands. "Can I help you folks?"

"Yeah, we've been driving for a while and we just started hearing this squealing noise. We got off the highway as quickly as we could and came here." Bellamy filled the mechanic in.

"Okay, well, how bout you two get some lunch while I take a look at it, and I'll get back to you in an hour or two?"

Clarke nodded, noting a diner down the street. "That's fine. Thanks for your help."

"It's no problem. Where are the two of you coming from?"

"We started out in Los Angeles. We're headed to Maine." Clarke chanced a glance over at Bellamy, taking in his expression. His jaw was tight with annoyance. Likely at her, for reasons she didn't even want to contemplate. Bellamy was an encyclopedia of all the things Clarke could do wrong.

"Wow, that's one heck of a drive. What's the occasion?"

"His sister is getting married."

"Ah, young love. I'm sure the two of you are headed in that direction as well, aren't you?"

"Oh, uh, no. No, we're not a couple." Clarke gave a short, awkward laugh. She never realized how this must look to others, but it was a fair assumption that two people of relatively the same age traveling together in a car were in a relationship.

"I see. Well, the diner's right down the street, I'll take a look and hopefully be able to tell you what's wrong in the next hour or two."

Two hours later found Clarke and Bellamy outside the auto body shop with the mechanic, whose name they'd learned was Joe.

"I hate to tell you this, but it looks like one of your belts snapped."

"What does that mean?" Of course Bellamy would be impatient to get back on the road. The sooner they got out of here, the sooner they could get to Maine, and the sooner he could get away from her.

"It means, with a car this old, the rubber in the belt has aged. It becomes slicker and loses it's grip, which probably caused the squeaking noise you heard, and eventually it will become so stiff it will snap."

"So when can we get back on the road?" Did he have to be so short about it? The mechanic was trying to do his job, and Bellamy couldn't help but be his usual ass of a self.

"Unfortunately, that's the bad news. The car's a Volvo, and there aren't really any Volvo dealerships around here. Not too many people drive foreign cars. It's going to take a few days for the part to come in."

"How many days is a few?"

"Probably three or four. It won't take me long to install, I just need to special order it."

"You can order it today?"

"I can order it right now and it should ship in a few hours. But it won't arrive for another few days."

"We can stay here for awhile, right?" Bellamy was finally addressing her, after hours and days of ignoring her. It was her idea, but still. He irked her.

"Yeah, we have some time to spare before the wedding. As long as we can leave here by Thursday, we should be fine."

"Oh, Thursday should be no problem! I can probably have it ready by Tuesday, but I can't make any promises yet."

Clarke nodded. "How much do we owe you?"

"Well, the part will be about a hundred and fifty, but don't worry about the labor. I'm happy to help a young couple of kids like you get back on the road. We don't get a lot of outsiders here."

"Thank you for your generosity. It's very much appreciated." Joe might not know it, but that was a sincere remark from Bellamy. He couldn't afford an expensive car repair right now.

"It's no problem at all. Welcome to Carrington."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello again, my lovely readers! I know this is a fast update, and I would love to say this is going to be a regular deal, but the chances of that happening are very slim. But I will do my best to upload as regularly as I can! This one just wouldn't leave me alone, and I needed to get it out. Now as always, read, review, and enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

Carrington, Indiana really was a cute little town. There was one main road lined with shops and boutiques, and a few streets spreading outward with townhouses. It was a beautiful day out, sunny with a light breeze. But all of that was ruined because Clarke had to call Octavia and tell her they were stuck in Indiana for a few days and wouldn't be able to make it to all the preparations.

"Hey, best friend!" Clarke's voice was sugary sweet when Octavia answered the phone.

"Oh, no. What's wrong?" Twenty years of friendship had the unfortunate side effect of making it impossible to fool each other.

"The car broke down. We're in Indiana. The mechanic said it's an easy fix, but he doesn't have the part, so it'll be a couple days until we can get back on the road." Clarke sighed.

"Will you be here in time for the wedding?"

"We should be! The maid of honor and best man can't miss it! The mechanic, Joe, said he should have us ready to go by Tuesday, and we'd be in Portland by Thursday night."

"So you'll miss everything except the rehearsal dinner and the day itself?" Clarke could tell Octavia was bummed.

"Yes, but we will be there! And in one piece."

"Are you sure you're stuck? Can you get a bus ticket?"

"I'm not leaving my car in Indiana, Octavia. And besides, Bellamy can't afford a bus ticket right now. The only way he could get there was by driving with me, and I'm graciously not making him chip in for gas."

"Fine," Octavia huffed. "I guess I'll see you at the end of the week, then. Keep me posted."

"Will do," Clarke agreed. "And if you need to vent about anything, I'm in cell range. I'll be able to take your calls."

"Okay. Be safe, and don't kill my brother." With that, Octavia disconnected the call. Clarke hadn't even thought of the fact that, because they were stranded, they'd have to bunk in together.

She crossed her arms and turned back to the surly man by her side. For a thirty year old, he sure had the petulant child pout down pat. "She's grudgingly okay with this."

"So she whined, but gave in in the end?"

"Pretty much," Clarke said, feeling the odd desire to smile. And that was frightening. "But we have another problem."

"Enlighten me, Princess." And there went the desire to smile.

"We need a place to stay."

"Call the presses. I hadn't realized."

"You're a dick. But it seems to me this town might not have that many places to stay. What if we have to stay… together?" She almost shuddered to sell it, but thought the better of it when she realized it was a bad idea to poke the bear.

"You're right, that's the worst part of this situation. But I have a feeling we'll push through. I saw an inn down the street. I'm going to check vacancies. You're welcome to come if you want." He started off down the street on those long, strong legs of his.

It took her a second, but she rushed after him. It took her a while to catch up to him, as her legs were significantly shorter than his. When they walked into the inn, Clarke was pretty sure they had been transported back to 1956. "This place looks like it was decorated by a Stepford wife."

"Hello, there!" A perky blonde woman, probably in her late fifties, pushed through a set of double doors at the side of the entry hall. "How may I help you two?"

"We're stuck here for a couple of nights, and we were looking for a place to stay. Do you have any vacancies?" Bellamy moved towards the desk the woman had moved behind.

"Lucky for you, we do!" She smiled brightly at Bellamy, and he flashed her that smile of his that made women weak in the knees. Every woman except Clarke, of course. "We have a suite with a king bed that will be vacant for the whole week. Is that okay with you?"

"Do you have anything with two beds?" He asked, glancing quickly at Clarke.

"Unfortunately that suite is the only room we have available. There's a farmer's convention in town this week, and we're almost booked solid." The inn keeper smiled wryly. "You're lucky the suite's available. If you waited until tomorrow, it would probably be booked."

"Well, then, I guess we have no choice but to take it." Bellamy said.

"Okay, what name will it be under?"

"Clarke Griffin," Clarke interrupted, moving up to the desk.

"Okay, and can I see a credit card and ID?" The woman asked, writing in a guest ledger. "Your card won't be charged until the end of your stay, but we like to have one on file."

Clarke handed the woman her driver's license and credit card, but Bellamy grabbed her arm before she had fully extended it. "Let me pay for it."

"Bell, you can't afford a plane ticket, and you're already paying for another hotel room. I got this one." She tugged her arm loose and smiled at the inn keeper.

"Alrighty, here are two keys to your room. It's on the third floor, to the left of the staircase. Room 303. There's a couch, a TV with cable, and that king side bed." She smiled brightly at Clarke and Bellamy. "I'm Shelly, I own this inn, and if you need anything, my daughter or I are available around the clock. Breakfast is served tomorrow morning at nine AM."

Clarke and Bellamy made their way up the stairs to their room. He unlocked the door and pushed it open, revealing their room. The bed sat against the back corner, with a couch in front of it, and a TV on the wall next to the door. "I'll take the couch," Clarke said, dropping her bags next to it.

"Not a chance, Princess. You need your beauty rest."

"I don't know the last time you went to the doctor, Bell, but the last time I checked, you're about six inches too tall to fit on this couch. And I am not spending a week with you being crabby from sleeping on a couch that's too small for you." She sank down onto said couch and laid her head against the back.

Apparently, Bellamy couldn't find an argument to her logic, and moved past her to the bed. She had just closed her eyes when his deep voice broke into her thoughts. "Thank you, Princess."

* * *

"Welcome to the Ark Estates, everyone. Your rooms are all upstairs, along with a schedule outlining your duties for the week. We didn't bring you here just to work, we also want you to have fun. Your first activity is a dinner tonight, after the vendors arrive, at six o'clock. See you all in the dining room!" Octavia clapped her hands after she'd briefed the bridal party.

Jasper Jordan, one of the groomsmen, turned to his best friend Monty Green. "I have an idea."

"Is it another bet? Because the last time you had an idea both of us were running out of a casino in New Mexico without pants on." Monty deadpanned.

"It is another bet, but we're not betting against someone else. We're betting against each other!"

"That doesn't make me feel any better."

"Just listen. I bet you that I can find a girl here first." Jasper said smugly.

"Right, because you're a huge ladies' man."

"Hey, I'm smooth."

"I once saw you try to slide across the hood of a car and fall so hard on your ass I needed to help you walk for two days."

"Well, then, you should be confident that you'll win. Do we have a deal?"

"Fine. What do you want if you win?"

"If I win, I want… tickets to the premiere of the next Star Wars movie. And not just any tickets. Your tickets."

"C'mon, man, you know they only give the crew one set of tickets each!"

"Then you better win."

"Okay, if I win, I want you to clean my house. There are still Cheetos behind the couch from that rager you threw last month."

"Alright, buddy, you got a deal." Jasper stuck his hand out, where Monty grasped it and shook firmly.

Across the room, Raven Reyes slunk over towards Octavia as she stood by the stairs of the estate. "Hey, Raven. How's my acting maid of honor?"

"Yeah, you know, calling me that doesn't make me maid of honor, and it definitely doesn't mean I'm hosting your bachelorette party." Raven grinned at her friend.

"I will wear you down," Octavia promised. "What do you need, Rav?"

"I had a question, actually." Raven bit her lip.

"A boy question? That's a boy lip bite." Octavia grinned at her.

"Who is that?" Raven nodded across the room at one of the groomsmen, who was talking to Lincoln, Octavia's finacé.

"That's Kyle Wick. He's one of Lincoln's friends from the force." Lincoln was a cop for the Portland police department.

"A cop, huh?"

"Yep. And he's one hundred percent single. And he's a really nice guy."

"Ugh, a nice guy?"

"Raven, you could use a nice guy in your life." Octavia crossed her arms. "I know Finn was the original bad boy and everything, but you need someone to settle you down."

"Here's hoping he's more bad than good, because that boy is hot!" Raven fanned herself with her hand and laughed with Octavia.

"You know, Raven, you should go talk to him." Octavia said quickly, glancing across the room to Lincoln and pushing her friend along.

"What, now? I need time to think of what to say! Are you just doing this so you and Lincoln can sneak out and have sex? That's not fair, man. You guys are getting married on Saturday. I promise you can wait-" Her exclamation died on her lips when she spotted the reason for Octavia's panic.

Finn Collins stood in the middle of the room. His hair was still that same disheveled mess of inky strands that hung down to his neck. His eyes were still the same deep brown, and his smile still had that hint of cockiness that had once made Raven's knees buckle. Except this time, his arm was around a tall, slender, tan, brunette with mile long legs and supermodel hair.

"Why didn't you tell me he was coming?" Raven asked quietly.

"I didn't want to upset you. I know you're over him and everything, but he and Lincoln are still friends and I couldn't tell him he couldn't have Finn as one of his groomsmen. I'm really sorry, Rav."

"You know what? It's fine. He's happy now, I'm happy now. It's all good."

Octavia nodded slowly. "Okay, honey. You'll be fine. Now I have to go, because the band is about to arrive." She slowly let her friend go, and crossed the room to her finacé and Wick.

"Hey, beautiful." Lincoln smiled and pressed a kiss into the side of her head.

"Hi. Wick, do you mind if I steal him? We need to help the band get settled in when they arrive."

"No problem," Wick said with an easy smile. "See you at dinner."

"Thanks!" Octavia called after him. After he was down the hallway, she turned into Lincoln's chest, allowing his arms to circle her and pull her into his body. "One week from today, we get married." She smiled and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.

"I can't wait." Lincoln smiled back at her. "Are you sure you're okay with this Clarke and Bellamy situation?"

"I can't do anything about it." She shrugged. "I'm just going to have to have Raven pick up the slack."

"Okay, but if I see you getting crazy, I reserve the right to intervene."

"Deal," she smiled, leaning up to kiss him again. They stayed wrapped in their loving embrace for a few moments before a throat clearing made them break apart.

"I take it you're The Grounders?" Lincoln asked, taking in the group of men standing in front of them. They had a couple of guitars in cases and rolling suitcases loaded with amps.

"Yes, sir." The front man stepped forward. Octavia lifted herself on her tiptoes to glance over Lincoln's shoulder at the band. And she gasped when she saw just who the front man was. "Atom?"

"Well, hey, Octavia. I had no idea this was your wedding." But his grin said otherwise, and Octavia let her head drop into the back of Lincoln's shoulder. It appeared this would be the wedding week from hell, and she hadn't yet hit rock bottom.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long, guys! I had an inflamed cornea in one of my eyes, which I know doesn't sound like a big deal, but was actually super painful and I couldn't see for a fairly long period of time. So again, sorry it's been so long! I'm trying to update every week or two, but this is one of those stories that just won't leave me alone even when I'm not writing it; so fear not, I will finish it at some point! Now without further ado, read, review, and enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

The Ark Estates bustled with activity as the wedding preparations were well underway. Jasper held a clipboard in his hand as he hurried through the kitchen. He'd been tasked with handling the photographer for the duration of the week. He was to coordinate with him, make sure he knew everyone who needed to be in photographs, and right now he had to deliver the must-take photo list.

Jasper thought back to the bet he'd made with Monty. Looking back, it probably was not a good idea to bet one women. For one, there was a very slim chance they would even find women in the first place. But if they happened to find some poor woman who fell for one of them, she probably wouldn't be too happy that a bet had been placed on her. Deciding the best course of action was to end the bet before it really began, Jasper quickly delivered the photo list and returned to the room he was sharing with Monty.

"I gotta talk to you, man." Jasper said as he burst into their hotel room.

"Dude, I told you, you don't need to tell me you need to use the bathroom if I'm not in there." Monty laughed.

"It's about the bet," Jasper insisted, rolling his eyes. "We need to stop this."

"We can't stop it, we shook on it!" Monty protested. "And have you seen the girls here? They're so hot!"

"And we have such a great track record with hot girls."

"Not the point, man. This time will be different!"

"No time will ever be different, Monty. This was stupid. And if by some miracle it were to work, I highly doubt girls would be okay with the fact that we were betting on them."

"We will cross that bridge when we come to it. But you're not getting out of this bet."

"I'm not going through with it. This was a really bad idea."

"Well, then, I guess you forfeit. You're not going to get out of it without any punishment."

"Fine, I forfeit."

"So you'll be cleaning my house, thoroughly, next weekend? I can assure you all of my cleaning supplies will be available to you, and I'll even buy you some toxic waste bags to properly dispose of everything."

"You suck."

"Still want to forfeit?"

"You suck."

"Not an answer."

"Yes, I un-forfeit. Happy?"

"Very."

"If you get punched in the face because some poor girl finds out you bet on her, don't come running to me. And don't come running to me if you can't find anyone, either. All consequences are on you."

"I accept that."

They shook hands again.

* * *

Octavia stood in the event hall, surveying the preparations for the reception. Between the funds her parents had left her and Bellamy's decision to leave all the inheritance to her and the money Lincoln had made from his time in the military and private security, their wedding could rival celebrity weddings. She was helping with arranging the tables when Finn and his girlfriend walked into the room.

"Octavia!" Finn waved her over.

"Hey, Finn, I'm a little busy right now, can you make it quick?" She asked when she reached them.

"Yeah, I just wanted to introduce you to my girlfriend, Lexa."

"Hi, Lexa, it's nice to meet you." Octavia shook the other woman's hand, silently judging her as she did. She made it a point to judge everything about Finn Collins, from his shaggy haircut to his bitchy-looking girlfriend.

"You, too. Finn tells me you both went to high school together?"

"Yes, he was a year ahead of me."

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I need to run to the restroom. It was nice meeting you as well." She exited the room and Finn was left standing in front of Octavia.

"So how have you been? I haven't seen you in like three years." He pushed his hair behind his ears.

"Look, we both know we're not really friends. You don't have to try to get to know me."

"Well, I was hoping we could change that. I mean, you're marrying one of my best friends, I think we should get to know each other a little better."

"I'm actually perfectly fine with the way things are between us right now. I don't particularly like you, and I don't feel a need for that to change."

"What have I done to you? You've hated me for as long as I can remember."

"Oh, well, see, there was this thing in high school where you cheated on my two best friends with each other. Ringing any bells?"

"Okay, yes, I remember that, but in my defense, I thought Raven had moved away. And I know that doesn't excuse everything, but it's as good as I have. And I've learned from my mistakes. I've even kind of mended things with Clarke and Raven. Why are you the holdout?"

"Because someone needs to defend my friends, and if they're not going to do it for themselves, I will do it for them."

"They are both more than capable of taking care of themselves."

"Yes, they are. But if they let someone who's wronged them that badly back into their lives, I need to be there to make sure that person is terrified that I will murder them if they ever hurt my best friends again."

"Okay, well, consider me warned and sufficiently afraid. Now can we move past this and try to be friends?"

"As I stated earlier, I have no interest in being friends. To make this week, and for the sake of Lincoln, easier, I will concede to being civil. I don't want to argue with you and I definitely don't want worry about you this whole week. So if you'll agree to keep your contact with my best friends to a minimum, I'll keep my insults to a minimum."

"Alright, fine. You got a deal."

"Okay, good. Now please leave so I can get back to my table arranging."

Finn stared at her for a moment, then he shook his head and left the room. Octavia spun on her heel, clutched her clipboard to her chest, and turned back to the crew hauling tables.

* * *

"Hey, Atom!" Lincoln chased down the musician as he was headed down the stairs.

"Lincoln," Atom said when he turned to see who had called him. "What can I do for you?"

"I just had a quick question."

"Alright, what's up?" Atom tilted his head.

"How do you know Octavia?" Lincoln asked. Octavia hadn't told him how she knew the frontman of the band, but clearly it had rattled her when she'd seen Atom. And Lincoln was an extremely protective guy. If there was something he should know about Atom and Octavia, he wanted to know.

"Oh, um, we actually… we dated for a little while in college."

That was what Lincoln had been worried about. "How long is a little while?" He wasn't a man of many words, but he would use as many words as possible to get to the bottom of this issue.

"It was about two and a half years, actually."

"Two and a half years?" That was way more than Lincoln had been expecting.

"Yeah, um, it was a long time ago. But we finally broke up when her brother found out and flipped a shit."

Well, that was one thing he could comfort himself with. This guy had been too much of a pussy to stand up to Bellamy, and though Lincoln knew Bellamy wasn't his biggest fan, Lincoln had never backed down under his disapproval. "You hid your relationship from him for two and a half years?"

"Yeah, we jumped out of a lot of windows and ducked under a lot of beds," Atom laughed.

And there was another thing he had over Atom. Octavia had never hidden Lincoln from Bellamy. "Sounds like an adventure."

"Yeah, but the sex was great." Atom glanced over at Lincoln just as his jaw tensed. "But, I'm sure you knew that."

Lincoln narrowed his eyes at the other man. He had always been protective of Octavia, but he wasn't used to the surge of jealousy he was now experiencing. He'd never had a reason to be jealous of anyone Octavia had dated, because she'd never really had any other relationships. And her eye didn't wander after they had gotten together. But now, he had to tamp down the urge to punch Atom in the face for insinuating he and Octavia had had a lot of sex.

"Right, man, well, I've gotta get back to getting ready for this wedding. You know how Octavia can be at these things. I mean, I'm guessing." Lincoln never would have thought he would be getting passive aggressive with anyone, let alone another man. But here he was, finding himself dropping the most passive aggressive hints about the lack of depth in Atom's relationship with Octavia.

"Yeah, sure, man. I'll see ya round." Lincoln could have sworn Atom glared at him on his way back through the hall.

"Not if I can help it," Lincoln whispered to himself, watching the other man walk away.

* * *

Raven crossed the kitchen of Ark Estates, making her way over to the prep tables. Octavia had instructed her that she would be helping to prep the wedding cake. Apparently the baker's assistant had come down with the flu, and Octavia was freaking out about the wedding week from hell. And Raven stopped short when the tables came into sight.

She wasn't informed that she was going to have a partner.

But there stood Wick, looking all masculine and capable… she needed to sit down or her knees would give out. She had never had such a strong attraction to someone before Wick. Even with Finn, she'd never felt her whole body heat up just from looking at him. With Finn, though, there had been the whole being in love thing.

She must have made a noise, because suddenly he had turned to face her. A crooked smile made its way onto his face. "Hey. You're Raven, right?"

"Oh… um, yeah. Right. Raven. Is me." She could have sworn she was blushing, which was shocking in and of itself. And it had definitely never happened in front of a guy before.

"Well, I've been here for about an hour now, so I can help you learn the technique. Come on over." He sent her that smile again, and she grabbed the table. She hoped it just looked like she tripped, but she seriously doubted she had managed to pull it off. She made her way over to where he stood next to the metal table.

"Okay, so this sheet of fondant is already rolled out, but I'll show you how to do that later. First, you're gonna take this pizza roller-looking tool and cut it into a square." Wick demonstrated each step as he instructed her. "Next, you're going to cut it into vertical strips. Taking each strip, you're going to take this little stamp thing, and press it into the strip. It'll make a cut, and you've got the trim down. We're not putting them on the cake yet, we're just cutting them out. And when we're done with this, we've got some frosting flowers to make. But don't worry, those are pretty easy, too."

Wick lifted the stamp tool to show her the shaped piece of fondant trim he'd just created. "How are you so good at this stuff?"

"Don't worry, I've had an hour's worth of practice. I promise you, it's not too hard."

And it wasn't, really. The hardest part about it was standing a foot and a half away from him and having to breathe in his delicious scent and feel his arm brush warmly on hers. But when they moved onto the frosting flowers, the real problems began. The frosting proved to be a little messy, and getting the technique right was a little tricky for Raven.

And that was when Wick stepped behind her to help her move the pastry bag in the right shape to form the roses. She could barely concentrate with the heat of him pressed all up and down her back. And his nose brushing against her hair was pure torture.

"Hey, look, there you go. You're getting it." His voice was softer and deeper than it had been before they'd started. If she didn't know any better, she'd have thought he was just as affected by their nearness as she was. But she knew that couldn't be the truth, he'd barely even given her a second look when they'd met casually at dinner the night before.

"Thanks," Raven said, glancing over her shoulder. His face was right next to hers, and she let herself take one deep breath before she forced a smile on her face and backed away. So close, but yet so far.

* * *

"Hey, Bell, are you almost done in there?" Clarke yelled through the bathroom door of their hotel room. She'd had to pee for half an hour and he was taking his sweet ass time in the shower. If she didn't know him better, she would have thought he was taking care of business in there.

"Calm down, Princess-" That was as far as Bellamy got before his bare chest smacked right into her face. His bare, dripping wet chest. It might have been the first time Clarke had ever really thought about Bellamy in a really male sense, and she wasn't sure how she felt about it.

The sculpted muscle was firm against her cheek and the light dusting of hair across it tickled. She inhaled, and instantly she knew that was a mistake. He smelled like the sharp, clean, male scent of his body wash. She didn't know where he bought it, but she felt like she might start washing her clothes in it.

"Um." Her brain may have short circuited, too. She couldn't form words and the mere fact that all this was happening because of Bellamy Blake was almost proof enough that it had.

"You okay there, Princess?" There was amusement in his voice, but it also held a gruffness that she'd never heard before. It was enough to make her realize that this was indeed Bellamy Blake she was plastered against, and even though her traitorous hormones were having a ball, he was probably pretty pissed about the fact that she'd almost bowled him over in her irritation.

"Yeah, um, sorry." She backed up and tried to keep her eyes anywhere but his exposed chest. And his face. She had no interest in seeing his "I'm pissed" face. She'd seen it often enough in the past.

"I'm surprised you know that word. I've never heard you use it before." That pissed her off enough to glare at his face. But when she looked up, she saw a look she'd never seen on his face. He looked amused and almost… satisfied. But he was still standing very much in her personal space, so she could have been hallucinating.

"I've apologized before. I just don't apologize to you because I've never done anything to you that warrants an apology." At least she was still sane enough to organize an argument. Argue with Bellamy without knowing your point and he'll eat you alive.

"What about my college graduation party when you dropped cake all down the front of my pants?"

"You bumped into me. And I clearly recall that I was looking where I was going and you were walking backwards after blowing a kiss to whatever girl of the week you were dating at the time."

"Ah, so that's why you did it. You were jealous that I was blowing a kiss to some other girl and you decided she wouldn't be interested in me if I had cake on the front of my pants, so you dumped yours."

"What?" She may have sputtered a little, and she was more embarrassed than she cared to admit. "That's not what happened! I was bringing a slice of cake to my boyfriend at the time!"

"Finn? Oh yeah, because we all knew that was going places."

"Wow, now who's jealous?"

"Not jealous, Princess. I just take pride in your terrible taste in men."

"Now for once, you're right. I do have terrible taste in men. I mean, I associate with you, don't I?"

"Low blow, Princess." But his voice was still amused. If she didn't know any better, she'd think he enjoyed fighting with her.

"Well, it's not like there's anything important to hit below the belt." She smiled with exaggerated sweetness and began to push past him into the bathroom. If she didn't get him out of her personal space very soon, she was going to go up in flames.

Before she could make it into the bathroom, he grabbed her elbow, spun her around, and she found herself plastered back against his half-naked body. "Do you want me to show you the important things I have below my belt?" He growled into her ear. "Because I am more than happy to."

She wiggled to try and escape, and that's when she realized that he really would have been happy to show her. Or at least, little Bellamy would have been happy to show her. The bulge hidden underneath his towel was growing harder and harder by the second.

"Um, no, that's… okay." Clarke tried again to wriggle out of his grasp, but he had hands of steel. She sighed in defeat and glanced up at him to find his face seriously close to hers. His eyes traced the planes of her face for what felt like an eternity before he cocked one side of his mouth up.

"Have a good shower, Princess."

Good or not, it was going to be cold.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello, lovely readers! I'm so sorry this has taken a few weeks to upload, I've been extremely busy and I haven't had a chance to write a lot. But I'm back now, and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! As always, please read, review, and enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter Four**

Clarke was taking an eternity in the shower. Bellamy was pretty sure she was doing it to pay him back for his extremely long shower, but he understood her frustration. He was hungry, and he couldn't ask her what she wanted to eat if she was in the shower. And even he wasn't enough of a dick to get food just for himself.

He thought back to their episode in the bathroom doorway. Feeling her pressed up against him had done strange things to his stomach. He wasn't used to thinking of Clarke as a sexual being, but that look on her face had been sexual as hell. And now he couldn't stop thinking about her in a sexual way. He'd always known she was female and objectively cute, but she was his sister's best friend. That sister term used to carry over to Clarke, too. But not anymore.

Even in the car, he'd been noticing little things about her, like the way she pushed her hair behind her ear when she was trying to distract herself, the way she bit her lip when she was nervous. He'd found himself wanting to use his teeth to pull that lip form hers, then suck it into his mouth as he kissed her soundly. And he hadn't been able to get rid of his erection since he'd walked out of the shower. First it had been her soft body up against his, then their argument, and now his thoughts. Damn, but her annoyance turned him on. He had no idea how he'd missed it in the past, because God knew they'd fought often enough.

Bellamy shook his head. He needed to figure out a way to distract himself from Clarke. It was definitely not helping that her body was naked under the spray of water in the bathroom; all he could think about was pushing her thighs apart and burying his head in between. Between eating her and licking up the water from the shower, he would have all the sustenance he needed. But Clarke might actually rip off his balls if he did that, so a distraction was necessary.

He decided on watching a basketball game on the small TV in their room. Flipping on the TV, he went to take a seat on the couch. And that's when the legs of the ancient piece of furniture decided to give out. Bellamy found himself on his ass on the ground, only a few layers of fabric and a cushion separating the two.

The noise must have alarmed Clarke, because the shower turned off and she appeared a moment later in a towel. He almost groaned. Couldn't she put on some clothes first?

"What the hell happened?" She demanded. He briefly entertained the idea of shoving her against the well and kissing her. But this seemed like an inappropriate time for that.

"What does it look like? I sat down, and the damn couch broke in half!"

"You just sat down?"

"No, I took a running start and dived."

"Okay, the sarcasm? Really not helping right now."

"Oh, I'm sorry, is this upsetting for you? I couldn't see your face, because I'm sitting on the damn floor!"

"Then get off the damn floor!" Bellamy couldn't remember a time when he had fought with a woman so much. And definitely not when he had enjoyed it so much. He pushed himself off the floor and instantly regretted it. He had forgotten she was standing there in nothing but a towel. Was this how she had felt thirty minutes ago when he had just finished his shower? Because if so, he was sorry for putting her through this. This was rough.

He stared at her as she stood in front of him, half naked. His gaze tracked down to her mouth and held there. Sure, her lips weren't the fullest he'd seen, but they were soft and sassy. And damn did he love it when they insulted him. Then there were her eyes. He really couldn't peg when her eyes had started to get to him, but it was long before her lips had. He'd never been able to resist her when she shot him one of those sad doe-eyed looks she used to give him all the time.

Her ire caused her chest to rise and fall harshly. When had he gotten close enough that he could feel her chest pushing into his with every breath she took? He was about two seconds away from wrapping an arm around her waist and bringing her into his body when a knock sounded on their door.

Clarke squealed and jumped back into the bedroom, finally realizing she was half-naked and definitely not decent. Bellamy shook his head and went to the door, opening it to find Shelly wringing her hands.

"Is everything okay in here? We heard a crash." Maybe it had been their bickering when they checked in the night before, but she looked positively terrified that someone was dead in their room.

"We're alright, but the couch gave out on us." Bellamy moved out of the doorway so Shelly could see the broken couch in the middle of the room.

"Oh, dear!" She pushed her way inside to take a closer look at the damages.

"Is there any way we can get another couch in here?" Clarke asked, appearing from the bathroom in sweatpants and a loose t shirt. Relieved as he was that she wasn't giving the world a show, his hormones wept that her delicious skin was covered.

"Well, I can definitely get this one out of here. But getting another one in might be tricky. See, we have to get the couch delivered and the only department store is about sixty miles away. I'll put in the order, but it could be a few days." Shelly shook her head. "In the meantime, I can have my son and his best friend come move this one out. I'll give him a call now, and he should be up soon to get this one out of here. I'm glad everything is okay up here." Casting one last nervous glance at the pair of them, Shelly stepped out of the room.

Clarke sighed and took in the mess that made up the middle of their room. "So, what now?"

"Now, we wait until they can take the couch out of here and we get some breakfast."

"No, I mean, where am I going to sleep now? If they can't get a couch up here today, where do I sleep tonight?"

He hadn't thought about that. He didn't even have to glance around the room to know the only other place she could sleep would be in the bed. With him. He couldn't decide whether that would be a good thing or not. Well, he knew it wouldn't be a good thing, but he would enjoy it regardless.

"You sleep in the bed. If you want, we can stick some pillows between us. If that's still not good enough, I can sleep on the floor."

"You're not sleeping on the floor." Surprised, he glanced up from the broken couch to look at the expression on her face. As if realizing what she just offered, she said, "I mean, if you would've been grumpy sleeping on the tiny couch, you're definitely going to be grumpy if you sleep on the floor."

She said it, but it didn't really look like she meant it. "Okay, then pillows between us it is."

"Why are you being so nice about this?"

"Why are you?"

Her mouth twitched in what he could only guess was amusement. Or maybe he was just hoping it was. And that was more dangerous than finding her sexy as hell. The desire to make her laugh implied feelings. Like, real feelings. Sure, he was protective of her and he would always be there for her, but he had always just assumed he felt that way because she was like his little sister And that he wanted her to stick around so they could continue to torment each other.

Bellamy opened his mouth to reply, but another knock on their door interrupted him. This time, Clarke was the one to answer it. He took in the soft sway of her hips and her damp hair falling down her back. She opened the door to reveal two bulky men, probably in their early thirties.

"We're here to pick up a couch?" The one on the left leaned against the doorframe, smiling at Clarke.

"Yeah, it broke in half. Come on in." She moved aside and gestured for them to enter the room. Both men blatantly looked her over as they passed her into the room. Bellamy couldn't tell if she didn't notice their interest or didn't care, but he had to suppress a growl at their interest in her. The more he watched her, the more he felt like she really didn't notice that these men were checking her out. Did she really not know her own beauty?

It took only a few minutes for the men to remove the couch from their room. Though a flurry of movement engulfed the room, Bellamy was still in thought. When she was around him, Clarke was sassy and strong and alive. But when it cam to others, she seemed unaware of her massive effect on people. And though he couldn't understand why, he wanted everyone else to see that side of her.

"So, breakfast?" She asked, smiling, when the men left the room. When Bellamy did nothing but stare at her, she looked down at herself. "What? Do I have something in my hair?" When he again didn't respond, she narrowed her eyes at him. "What, Bellamy?"

She was too cute for words. So he crossed the room in two big steps, threated his fingers through her hair, and fit his lips to hers. He was expecting a slap, or for her to shove him away and yell at him. But she did none of that.

She went pliant against him, her lips giving way under his. That was all he needed, and he wrapped an arm around her waist to bring her tight against his body. He caught her lower lip in his teeth and gave a gentle tug, which got a whimper out of her. And that was too much for him. He gave her a quick warning lick to her bottom lip before he slid his tongue inside. She tasted so sweet, he couldn't get enough of it. Keeping her tight against him, he walked her backwards until her back hit the wall.

Even in her kiss, she was still Clarke. She was still giving as good as she got and kissing him back eagerly. She clung to his shoulders, pushed her hips against him, and let her tongue play with his. She was fire in his arms. Keeping one hand firmly caught in her hair, he brought the other down her side and tugged her leg up to wrap around his hip. This, Clakre in his arms and wrapped around him, this was heaven.

And then her cell phone rang, and heaven faded away. She dragged her lips away from his and stiffened in his arms. It wasn't a verbal refusal, but her body was telling him she was done with this moment. She didn't speak as he backed away, her eyes wide and locked on his. After a heavy moment, Clarke moved away from the wall and towards her bag. And one thing was clear for Bellamy: he had tasted heaven, and he was damn well going to do it again. And she would enjoy it, too.

* * *

Octavia disconnected the call with annoyance. Why was Clarke dodging her calls? She'd called her friend three times that morning, with no answer. She was starting to get worried. Maybe Clarke and Bellamy were out of cell service… or maybe Bellamy had killed her. She wouldn't put it past her brother to kill Clarke, and she sure as hell wouldn't put it past Clarke to kill Bellamy, either. Sending them on a road trip together was starting to seem like a bad idea.

"What's wrong, Octavia? You seem a little tense." Yeah, well, if she was tense, hearing Finn's voice was sure as hell not going to help.

"What do you want, Finn?" She sighed, turning to face him. In the time since the debacle with Clarke and Raven, she'd barely seen Finn. He didn't look much different. And in truth, she had nothing against Finn. But it was her duty as the best friend of both women involved that she be annoyed with him whenever he was around.

"To make sure you're okay?" He seemed to really just be checking in on her.

"Did Linc send you?"

"Actually, yeah, he said you were working yourself really hard. He wanted to make sure you were taking a break. Or at least drinking lots of fluids and eating every few hours." It was true, Lincoln was a bit of a heath nut. He always wanted to make sure she was being healthy and eating nutritious meals. Which just made it easier for her to justify eating half a pizza or a pint of ice cream.

"I'm doing fine, Finn. I'm actually taking a break right now to call Clarke." And she regretted telling him that. He didn't need to hear about his ex. And Clarke probably didn't want him to hear about her, either.

"How is she?"

"She's fine. She and Bellamy are stuck in Indiana until their car is fixed. It won't be ready for another day or two. But Finn? I don't think it's a good idea for you to talk to her when she gets here. Or Raven."

"Why not? I mean, I know I'm not their favorite person, but I thought we had all moved passed it."

"Yes, you have, but I don't want anyone getting the wrong idea. I don't want either of them getting false hope, and I sure as hell don't want any fights ruining my wedding day. So I think it would be best if you all stay away from each other."

"Well, I can't say I agree with you, but it is the biggest day of your life, so I will do as you wish. But I refuse to ignore them. I will say hello and be polite, and that will be it." Octavia eyed him suspiciously, but nodded her head.

"Okay, I can deal with that. But if you do anything to mess up my day, I will find you and rip your nuts off. You got it?"

Finn just smiled and shook his head. "There's that old Octavia Blake. I missed her."

Octavia rolled her eyes, but she smiled as Finn walked away. Cancerous as he might be for her two best friends, he was a good guy, and Lincoln was lucky to have him as a friend.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Well. I'm very sorry. I haven't updated in a hot minute, and I sincerely apologize. I wish I could say I've just been busy, but I've also had a bit of writer's block. June is a difficult month for me, for personal reasons, but I've been trying to push through. I hope you guys enjoy this update, and I hope you don't think I've forgotten about this story. I always say I'll update more often, and I always mean it, but this time I hope I can actually achieve it. This is a really long AN, so I'm going to wrap it up here. As always, read, review, and enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter Five**

Jasper leaned against a pillar in the entrance hall of Ark Estate. Around him, the hustle and bustle of wedding preparations was in full swing. With just a few days until the big event, which had been described by the Los Angeles Herald as the "Wedding of the Year", everyone had a job to do. Lucky for Jasper, his happened to be overseeing the transport of materials for vendors. So basically, he just had to stand by the door and tell people where to go. That he could do.

And maybe he could even get a date out of it, too.

"Where are the vases going for the florist?" A petite brunette asked him, pushing her hair behind her ear.

"To the White Room, down this hall and to the left," he said, trying to smile as casually as he could. "What's your name?"

"I'm Anna. You?"

"Jasper."

"Nice to meet you, Jasper. Do you think you can give me a hand carrying these down there?" She gestured behind her to the two dollies loaded with massive crystal vases.

"Um…" He glanced around, making sure no other vendors were currently transporting anything. Octavia would kill him if he left his spot. Especially just to flirt with a girl. "Yeah, sure. Can you show me how to work this thing?"

After showing him how to take off the brake and roll the dolly, Anna let him lead her down the hallway to the White Room. "So, are you the florist?"

Her laugh was adorable and light. "No, I'm the intern. I've been working in advertising for years, but I've always loved flowers. My mom and I used to have a garden and she'd let me sell flowers while my brother sold lemonade and cookies."

"Chasing the dream now, huh?" Jasper glanced over. She was cute. Short, wavy brown hair, green eyes, and a tiny, upturned nose. Cute.

"That's the plan. It's comforting to know that if I fail, I have enough years of experience to get an advertising job somewhere." She pushed the door to the White Room open with her back and then held it open for Jasper as he pushed his dolly inside. "Well, thank you so much for your help. I appreciate it."

"It's my pleasure. Here, let me walk back with you." He raised his arm to push open the door and let her through before him. "So, um, Anna… do you like weddings?"

"I think I would have a little trouble with the whole florist thing if I didn't like weddings." She laughed again, and Jasper couldn't help but smile.

"No, I mean do you like going to weddings?" Clearly his flirting techniques were a little rusty. Who was he kidding? There were a lot rusty, if not extinct. It had been years since he'd tried to impress anyone, let alone ask them out.

"I do like them, yes. I've been to a lot recently, most of my friends are married." She gave him a small smile. "Do you like weddings?"

"I could take them or leave them, usually. This one should be good, though. I've known Octavia for years, since we were in junior high. And then Lincoln came along and her whole life changed. They're a really inspiring couple." That had started out as trying to convince her that he didn't hate weddings, but it ended up being true. Octavia and Lincoln did inspire him. They showed him that there was someone out there for him that would love him for as long as Octavia and Lincoln had been.

"That's adorable." She giggled and pushed at his shoulder.

"I'm not adorable," Jasper said, frowning.

"You are, too. So adorable." Anna teased.

"Would you stop it?" She laughed again.

"You're too easy." She glanced around, noting that they were back in the entry hall. This was his stop. "It was nice meeting you, Jasper. I guess I'll see you around."

"Hey, wait!" Jasper found himself saying as she walked away. And his words caused her to turn back to him. "Do you maybe… want to be my date to the wedding?"

"You don't have a date?"

Jasper glanced down at himself in minor disbelief. "You think I would have a date? Are you looking at the same me as I am?"

"Hey, I already told you you're adorable. Women love adorable."

"Well, I don't. Do you want to go with me or not?" He was getting tired of her calling him adorable. It was definitely not a compliment, no matter what she said.

"Jasper… I think you're a good guy. But I don't think it's a good idea for a vendor to be going to a wedding with one of the guests."

"Right." Jasper nodded. That was a good point. It was probably just a convenient excuse, but at least she had the decency to make it a good one. "Good luck with the rest of the day. Let me know if you have any more questions." He shot her a quick smile before turning back to his original place. He didn't see her face fall and her bite her lip.

* * *

Clarke needed to get out of the hotel room. She'd kissed Bellamy that morning. Well, technically, he kissed her and she kissed him back. It didn't matter who kissed who, it resulted in her wrapped around him and his tongue in her mouth. And the worst part was, she liked it. A lot.

"How about breakfast at the diner? It looked really good." Clarke took that back. The worst part was that Bellamy was acting like it never happened. He was just normal, like his entire life hadn't changed by kissing Clarke. Because she was pretty sure her entire life had changed.

"Yeah, breakfast is fine. I'm ready now if you are." She grabbed her sweatshirt from the chair she had flung it over and made her way to the door.

They arrived at the diner in silence. They were seated by the window and Clarke stared out it. Looking at Bellamy's stupidly handsome face was not a good idea right now.

"Did you sleep well?" His voice broke into her thoughts. But she still refused to look at his face.

"Yeah, it was okay. I guess tonight won't be as comfortable."

"Why not?"

"Cramped bed, next to you."

"Ah, yes. It's the next to me part that really gets you, right?"

Now she looked at him. "What makes you think that sleeping next to you would be anything but uncomfortable for me?"

"Right, of course. Back to this." He nodded, looking out toward the street.

"What do you mean, 'back to this?'"

"I mean, this morning we kissed. And you and I both know you liked it."

"Yeah, I liked it. Ever think it might be because I haven't been kissed in a long time, and not because you were the one kissing me?"

He jerked back at her words. "You don't mean that."

"Don't I? Your sister has been trying to get me laid for about nine months now. Ever since Finn and I broke up, she's been trying to get me with someone. And I haven't been kissed since then. So yeah, I kissed back. Sue me because I like kissing."

"Okay. Fine."

A waitress approached their booth. "Morning, folks. My name's Taylor. What can I getcha?"

"I'll have scrambled eggs with onions and pepper and a piece of toast. And a side of strawberries." Bellamy said and handed his menu to Taylor.

"I'll take the waffles with whipped cream and syrup and a side of bacon." Clarke smiled at Taylor as she handed back her menu. The waitress left and Clarke was left with nothing to say. She felt bad for lying to Bellamy. She had liked the kiss, and she sure as hell had kissed him back because it was him. Truth be told, he was probably part of the reason that she hadn't been with anyone since she and Finn had broken up. But she was determined not to end up hurt again, and she was positive she had feelings for Bellamy. But he was all about pleasure. Temporary pleasure.

"Still eating junk food, I see?" She glanced up at his words and saw a teasing smile on his face.

"Yeah, well, some of us can't be bothered to worry about all those calories and nutrients and crap. I just go for an extra long run and then I feel better." She shrugged. If he wanted to keep it light, she could keep it light. Better to be stung now by the fact that all he wanted was sex than to find out later when she was full on in love with him. If she wasn't already there.

She wasn't stupid. She knew all the fighting was a smoke show. She knew that no matter how much she wished it weren't true, and how much she tried to hide it, she had feelings for him. Bickering was just a defense mechanism to disguise how much she actually cared about him. She had always assumed it was the same for him, but apparently that wasn't the truth.

She must have been zoning out for a while, because the next thing she knew, food was being set down in front of her. Delicious, syrupy, whipped cream goodness on a plate in front of her. And a plate of health food in front of him. If they couldn't even be compatible with their food, how could she expect that they would be compatible in real life?

* * *

Jasper was so lucky, Monty thought as he made his way through the kitchen. All he had to do was stand there and tell people where to go. Monty, on the other hand, had to go down to the kitchen, double check all the ingredients, menu items, and make sure everything was running smoothly. Octavia had called it 'kitchen liaison' or some shit like that, but really he was just an errand boy for the kitchen.

He was so annoyed with his assignment that he didn't notice the person standing right in front of him. So he bumped into her and knocked her over.

"Hey!" She yelled on her way down to the floor.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry! Let me help you up." Monty looked down at the girl on the floor who was covered with cold shrimp and marinara sauce. Damn, that would not come out easily.

"No, no, you've done enough already." She waved his hand away and stood on her own. She was average in height, with long, straight black hair and fine features. She was gorgeous. And he just covered her in shrimp cocktail. Not that she would have been in his league before, but he definitely wasn't getting a date now.

"Really, I'm so sorry. Can I help you get a new shirt or something?" If he wasn't going to get a date—because really, who was he kidding?—he might as well be a nice guy.

"I have one in my purse. Can you grab it for me?" She was patting down her shirt and didn't spare him a glance. Well, not until he stood there dumbly for a moment. Then she glanced up at him and jerked her head to her purse. He nodded and went to her purse. He pulled the shirt out and turned around to give it to her.

And found her half naked in front of him.

"Oh, um…" He turned around and held the shirt out behind him. "Here's your shirt."

"Thank you." He could hear the amusement in her voice as she took the shirt from him.

"Well, I'm sorry again. I need to be getting to the kitchen. I hope your day gets better from here." He started walking away, not wanting to chance her not being decent again.

"Hey, wait!" Monty stopped at the sound of her voice. He turned around slowly, relieved when she was fully clothed. "What's your name?"

"Monty. But I'm actually late, so I have to run." He smiled at her and went to continue on his way.

"Monty?" He could hear her walking fast to catch up with him. "I'm Lily."

"Lily, it was nice meeting you. Well, I guess it really wasn't for you, but I really do need to be going."

"I'm Lily."

"Yeah, I got that."

"The caterer."

"The- oh."

She laughed. "Yeah, oh."

"Now I feel even worse about spilling your own food on you."

She laughed again. It was a nice laugh. "Well, I'm not saying you shouldn't feel bad about getting marinara all over my shirt, but it happens. I won't hold it against you. Though I definitely will never trust you in my kitchen."

"That's unfortunate. I guess I'll have to have Octavia assign someone else to be her kitchen liaison." He smiled again, a bit self-deprecatingly, and turned to exit the kitchen.

"Slow down, buddy. I'm joking with you. Please don't leave." She reached out and snagged his arm before he could leave the kitchen. "What is it that Octavia wanted us to go over?"

"Um, a couple things, actually." He glanced around. "I have a question first, if you don't mind."

"Shoot."

"If the wedding isn't for a few more days, why are you preparing food now?"

"Well," she motioned around at the bustling kitchen. "Some of it is practice. Making sure the recipes are correct for the appliances in this kitchen, checking over ingredients, that sort of thing. Some of it is preparing for the rehearsal dinner. Hopefully, we'll be ready to go the morning of the wedding. We'll be cooking all day and we have to deal with coordinating with the baker and all sorts of stuff like that."

"You're kind of young to have a catering company, aren't you?" After he said it, he realized how it sounded. "I didn't… mean it like that. I just meant that it's a lot to have accomplished by your age. It's impressive, actually."

She smiled. "Thank you. It's actually my parents company, my brothers and I run it now."

"If you need any help on the day of the wedding, let me know. I am the kitchen liaison, after all." He smiled at her. Still didn't have a shot in hell with her, but he figured he could gain a new friend.

"Oh, no, that's okay." She shot him a smile that he could almost interpret as shy. Maybe nervous. "You should enjoy the day. You're in the wedding party. Besides, I wouldn't want to tear you away from your date."

"Oh, I don't have a date."

"Shame on all the women you know." She smiled at him and he felt something like… butterflies in his stomach.

"We should get down to business. Octavia game me kind of a long list of things to discuss." Monty eyed Lily as he laid out the list Octavia had given him. His flirting game had never been strong, but he felt like she was hitting on him. On the other hand, she was so far out of his league it was laughable. Regardless, she couldn't be his date for the wedding because she'd be working all day. He would have to look elsewhere if he wanted to win the bet.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hello, everyone! I am proud that I've managed my time well enough to get this up relatively close to the last chapter. I swear, I'm working on time management to get new chapters up sooner. I found this chapter very easy to write, which is odd because I tend to struggle with some aspect of a chapter for a decent amount of time. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I liked writing it. As always, read, review, and enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter Six**

The trip to the diner hadn't gotten Bellamy anywhere with Clarke. She was still acting like he hadn't rocked her world and changed her life. He was pretty sure he'd never be the same again. He'd always kept Clarke at a distance, probably because he knew she'd be able to hurt him if he let her get close. So they danced around their feelings, never letting one or the other land a blow. That had all changed that morning when he'd settled his hands in her hair and devoured her mouth. Thinking about it got him hot under the collar, so he pulled his tee shirt away from his skin and waved it enough to get the air moving again.

Apparently Clarke wasn't in the mood to be holed up in a hotel room with him all day, because her next suggestion had been to take a hike in the woods. It made sense at the time. They were both dressed in active clothing and sneakers and as much as Bellamy wanted to fuck some sense into Clarke, he knew that wasn't an option at the moment. And he wasn't quite sure what sense he wanted her to have. Admitting their chemistry was one thing, but he had the sinking suspicion that sex would mean a lot more to him than it would to her. He was the one with more feelings in this situation, and that put him at a disadvantage. He'd never understood why his peers were so obsessed with playing games in dating, with making it seem like they had the upper hand. But now that he was the one who was more involved, he finally got the desire to make it seem like he couldn't care less.

Because the person who doesn't care is in control. And Bellamy really liked to be in control.

Now, half a mile into their hike, he finally brought himself into the moment enough to appreciate their scenery. Carrington really was a beautiful town, even if it was in the middle of nowhere. He tried to imagine a time when he was more peaceful than he was at that moment, and he came up empty. Clarke was like a soothing balm to his tense soul, and their surroundings were working wonders to decrease his stress. He seemed to have a fondness for carrying tension in his shoulders, and long walks in a gorgeous stretch of woods with a beautiful girl were like a deep tissue massage for his soul.

Bellamy refused to let their kiss affect their relationship. If she wasn't interested, which she had outright stated was true, then he would just have to get over his feelings. She wasn't special, and he'd gotten over many girls in the past—she would be no different. Deciding to break the silence, he said, "Beautiful day, isn't it?"

"I think this might be the first time we've ever agreed on something." Clarke smirked over her shoulder at him, before beginning to climb up a somewhat steep hill.

Damn, that was a nice ass. He might be trying to get over his feelings for her, but that didn't mean he couldn't appreciate the features that God had put in front of him. Clearly God was trying to put him to an early grave, because it was a spectacular show. High and firm, with a nice round curve and just the right amount of bounce as she walked. He imagined waking up pressed against that ass every morning for the rest of his life. He was in fucking deep.

"We don't disagree on everything." He said, returning to her statement.

"No? What else do we agree on?" She didn't look at him that time, but her voice was surprisingly devoid of sarcasm. She genuinely wanted to know what they might have in common.

"Well, we both agree that the Dodgers are clearly the best team in baseball."

A musical laugh floated back to him, and he basked in his ability to amuse her. "That is true. It is also an indisputable fact."

That caused a smile to break across his face. "We both think cherry pie is the food of the gods."

She stopped abruptly and turned to face him. "You like cherry pie? But you had all health food this morning for breakfast."

"Anyone who doesn't like cherry pie can never speak to me again for all I care. I like to keep myself healthy, but that means I also need to be happy. And cherry pie sure as hell makes me happy." He wouldn't mention that the reason he liked cherry pie was because he'd helped Octavia to make one for Clarke's birthday when they were kids.

"You are not who I thought you were Bellamy Blake." She looked pensive. Maybe she could find it in herself to allow them to be friends and no longer bitter enemies.

"I'm still Octavia's overprotective obnoxious brother who lives to torment you. Never forget that."

She scoffed. "There's not a chance in hell I will ever forget that. But it's kind of nice to know there's a real human under all the annoying bluster. One that I actually have things in common with, nonetheless."

There wasn't a damn thing he could think of to respond to that so he contented himself with taking in the sight of her lovely face. She looked at peace in the woods, and he hadn't realized until then how much he wanted a woman who could go hiking and play a pick up game of basketball and enjoy it as much as he did. It was probably one of the reasons he'd never really had a serious relationship before; the women he tended to date liked manicures and upscale clubs.

Bellamy hadn't realized that he was inching closer until her breasts brushed his chest and her head tipped back to meet his gaze. She hadn't moved back, and she seemed to be just as entranced by his gaze as he was by hers. They were connected in the moment, and he debated going for another kiss. She was starting to realize that maybe they didn't have to be enemies, and a kiss might help solidify his case. Then again, a kiss might just get him slapped.

He glanced down at her lips. Pink, parted, and shiny in the wake of her tongue as she slicked it over them. She looked ready to be consumed, and he was more than ready to help with that. He might get slapped, but he could care less about the consequences. He needed a taste.

Bellamy bent his head, his lips a few scant inches from hers. He saw movement over her shoulder and flicked his eyes up at the distraction in annoyance. He had just a moment to quickly swing Clarke up into his arms as a small brown and green snake lunged towards her ankle. Having failed at sinking his teeth into her leg, the snake slithered away in search of easier prey.

Clarke was staring back up at him, shock apparent in her wide eyes. He smiled comfortingly as he set her back on her feet. She was still stunned enough that her hands had curled into fists around the fabric of her shirt.

"Thank you," she finally said, releasing him and backing up.

"No problem," Bellamy shrugged it off. "It was probably not poisonous, but you can never be to careful."

"How did you know it was there? I couldn't see anything other than…"

"Too wrapped up in me, huh?" His ego took pride in that, even though he knew it meant nothing to her. She was sexually frustrated and he was the only viable man in the area. Knowing that didn't make it any easier for him to know she'd never care about him the way he wanted her to.

She blushed at his words and turned her head away. "I was stunned that we had anything in common. It was temporary."

"Yeah, well, I saw something move over shoulder and just barely moved you in time to miss the snake bite. Nothing special, I swear. Taking you to the hospital would have been so much extra work. Plus, dealing with you with a snake bite would be such a pain in the ass."

She shot him a glare. "I'm a doctor, I know how to treat a snake bite."

"You yelling at me while I try to suck blood out of your ankle? Not my idea of a good time." The idea of sucking anything on her set his mind on a different track.

"We should keep going. There's a clearing up ahead, we can stop for our picnic there." She started off without him. He watched her ass move in front of him again as he imagined taking a bite out of it and then moving down to suck the sweet area between her thighs. He shivered and tried to forget that image as he started after her. His boner didn't seem to get the message.

* * *

Raven was practically whistling as she made her way down to the kitchen. Another day she got to spend with Wick was another day she could be happy. She couldn't remember the last time she was so interested in just spending time with a person and not wanting sex or anything more out of it. Not that she didn't want to have sex with him, because she most definitely did. She didn't see how any living, breathing woman could not want to have sex with Wick. But she didn't need sex or anything in return from him, and she couldn't remember the last time that happened.

As she turned a corner, she collided with a person walking in the opposite direction. And she suddenly remembered why spending time with Wick was such a relief. "Hi, Finn."

"Raven." They both took a few steps back to look each other in the face, and Raven noticed the woman on Finn's arm. "Sorry, where are my manners? Raven, this is my girlfriend, Lexa."

Lexa extended an immaculately groomed hand with inch long blood red talons for nails. Raven really didn't want to shake it—partially because she was worried Lexa might draw blood with her claws—but found herself reaching out to shake the other woman's hand. The only thing more uncomfortable than running into your ex is running into your ex with their new girlfriend. Especially when you haven't started dating again since the two of you broke up. Raven was most definitely at a disadvantage in the situation.

"So, you're a bridesmaid, huh?" Finn tried to start a conversation. "It's nice that you and Octavia are still so close."

"Yeah, same to you and Lincoln." She nodded, desperately trying to figure out a way to get out of the situation without making it seem like she was trying to escape. Which she definitely was.

"Well, without me, he and Octavia probably wouldn't have ever met."

"Oh, that's right! I totally forgot about that. He helped you sneak her out of that party when the cops showed up, and fell for her pretty much as soon as he actually laid eyes on her."

"We can all agree it was love at first sight, but I still think it was a little creepy at the time. He was four years older than her, and she was just a freshman. Man, I can't believe college was five years ago already." Reliving the past had both Raven and Finn smiling. She knew it was just nostalgia, but getting along with him again was nice. She missed him, even though she knew that they weren't meant to be together. He was her first love, her best friend, the boy next door, and he held a special place in her heart. No one would ever be able to replace that.

A strategic feminine cough broke through their moment, and the smile faded from Raven's face as she realized what had just happened. She smiled tightly at Finn and Lexa. "Excuse me, I have to be getting down to the kitchen. Busy day today." She passed the couple and continued down the hall to the kitchen.

"Wow, could you act anymore like you're still in love with her?" Lexa dug her nails into Finn's arm and he wanted to wince in pain. Those things hurt like a bitch when she put some force behind them.

"I'm not still in love with her, Lexa. It's just nice to talk about when things were good between us sometimes. I never wanted to stop being in her life, but I understand why she doesn't want me to be. But you're my girlfriend now, and you're the woman I want by my side this week."

"Good." Lexa grinned at him. "I have my own reasons for being here as well."

"I know," Finn said, rolling his eyes. "You just adore weddings."

"No." She paused and tipped her head. "Well, yes. But that's not why I'm here. I'm glad you invited me, because I've been trying to figure out how to get back at Octavia for years."

"Come again?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Get back at Octavia? For what? She was one of the sweetest people he'd ever met.

"She stole my boyfriend from me."

"I'm sorry, you want to get back at her because she went out with some guy you went out with? And what does get back at her mean?"

"She didn't just date my ex-boyfriend or something. Lincoln and I had been dating for three years at school before he met her. And then he dumped me so that he could start dating her."

Definitely a sting to her ego, but she was beautiful and had no shortage of money. She could have any man she wanted. And prior to this conversation, Finn counted himself damn lucky to be the man she'd picked. Now he wasn't so sure.

"You're at your ex-boyfriend's wedding?" Why that was the question that tumbled out of his mouth, he couldn't figure out. But he couldn't bring himself to confront her either. Get back at her could mean any number of things, and some fun might actually put Octavia in a better mood this week. Octavia usually thought pranks were fun, he contemplated. He would keep an eye on Lexa. If she looked like she was about to step over the edge into crazy, he would definitely intervene. But for not, monitoring the situation seemed to be sufficient.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: See, I told you I could upload faster. Here is a brand new chapter! This one was giving me problems for a bit, but I like the way it turned out. Let me know what oyu think! As always, read, review, and enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter Seven**

Octavia had drawn him in with her smile. Lincoln could still remember the first time he'd seen her. She'd been flying out of the building, tugged along as Finn rushed to get her away from the party. Her long golden brown hair flew out behind her and her face split into a breathtaking smile as she let out that magical laugh of hers. He knew at that moment that he needed her in his life. It had been a light switch, an instant connection that he knew he couldn't live without. He didn't even know then that he would fall in love with her; he just knew he needed her energy, her smile, everything about her to light up his life.

He wanted to channel that feeling into his vows, but he had what he could only assume was writer's block. He couldn't seem to find the words to describe how he felt about her, let alone the words that would forever cement their relationship. Sighing out a breath of temporary defeat, Lincoln decided to head down to the kitchen for a midnight snack. The caterer knew he was spending the week in a separate room from Octavia, and she had been nice enough to offer him late night access to the kitchen when he was lonely or frustrated. She had winked at him after that, and he knew he liked the girl. And not just because she was letting him sneak extra food. She was impish and cute… and she kind of reminded him of Jasper.

Heading down to the kitchen, Lincoln rubbed a hand over his face. He had just a few days left to finish writing and memorize his vows, and here he was just struggling to figure out how to start.

He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he almost bowled over the person walking in the opposite direction. He looked up to apologize, opened his mouth, and then noticed who he was looking at. And he shut his mouth.

"Lincoln," Atom smirked at him. "A little lonely, are we?"

"I was heading out to get some food. Octavia usually doesn't let me eat in the middle of the night, so I'm taking advantage of it while I can." He tried to make his tone light and easy and as not confrontational as possible. But Atom rubbed him the wrong way, and—for a man who prided himself on his emotional control—made him want to actually hurt the man.

"Of course. A week of celibacy is bound to make a guy hungry. Sure you're not out looking for another girl who will let you into her room for the night?" That smirk grew.

Lincoln's blood boiled. "First of all, Octavia and I sleep in the same bed every night except this week. And I can guarantee you we have enough sex to keep us both thoroughly satisfied. Second of all, I have no interest in anyone but Octavia, and that is why I'm marrying her. And I think it's also part of the reason she's marrying me. She doesn't like men who stray." Of course, it wasn't hard to tell that was a pointed comment. Atom had made a point to check out other girls during the week, especially when he knew Octavia was watching. Lincoln didn't know what the other man was up to, but he was keeping an eye on the situation.

"Why wouldn't I want her to see me with other women? She needs to know that I'm still as attractive and wanted as I used to be." Lincoln might not have known what Atom was up to, but he had the sickening feeling that he was about to find out.

"And why would she need to know that?"

"So she can realize what a mistake she's made agreeing to marry you and come back to me." Lincoln had to hand it to him, the guy had balls. They just happened to be balls he wanted to kick at the moment.

"The fact that you think she would do that just proves you don't know her at all." It was a weak comeback, but it was all he had with the rage flowing through him. And he refused to analyze the little part of him that felt fear.

"I will have her back by the end of this week. I don't care if she leaves you at the altar, she will be with me."

Lincoln was a man of few words. But he typically made those words count. "Octavia is going to be my wife because she loves me. She does not do anything she doesn't want to do. If she wanted to be with you, she would be." He almost smiled at the look of shock on Atom's face. Had he just expected Lincoln to roll over and hand him his fiancée?

"I stand by what I said," Atom said, recovering from his momentary surprise. "She will be with me by the end of the week." He walked away, leaving Lincoln confused and hungry.

The hunger drew him out of his thoughts when his stomach growled. He couldn't stand in the hallway all night. He needed to get a snack and then finish writing his vows. Because if he was honest with himself, he would do anything to keep Octavia from being with Atom. He knew he had spoken the truth when he said Octavia didn't do anything she didn't want to, but he was human. There was a part of him that was terrified at the idea of losing her, and though it was small, it was powerful. He needed to write some romantic vows to prove to her that she was the one he wanted and he loved her more than anything else in the world.

Lincoln made his way down to the kitchen, still deep in thought. He was trying to shake his conversation with Atom out of his mind, but he couldn't help picturing the confident look on Atom's face when he talked about Octavia being with him. The man was positive that she would return to him, and that made Lincoln nervous. Maybe Atom knew a side of Octavia that he'd never seen. Maybe they shared a deeper connection because they had known each other longer.

He wasn't usually an insecure man. But he knew that he wasn't most women's ideal man. Despite the fact that he was much more financially stable than he was when they first met, he sometimes wondered why she was with him. He couldn't be suave and charming at dinner parties, he had no interest in most academic conversations or politics. He was a smart man, but his talents lay in the military and private security. He had street smarts to spare, and he'd done well enough in school, but talking for hours and hours on end just wasn't his style. He could never tell what it was that had kept her with him, but he knew he couldn't just be average if he wanted to remain her fiancé.

He felt a surge of energy rush through him and turned around. He didn't need a snack to write his vows. He knew exactly what he was going to say.

* * *

The man's sweat was even sexy. Why did he have to be so damn sexy? Clarke knew he wasn't stripping off his shirt for her, that would be insanity. But it sure felt like it was personal. And she hated that she was noticing.

He'd always been attractive in an annoyingly perfect way, but it had never mattered to her before this trip. She'd never found herself wanting to lick the drop of sweat trailing down his abs or squeeze his shoulders to find out if they were as solid as they looked. It had always just been another part of Bellamy that had infuriated her.

"Ready to head back?" Bellamy's voice broke into her thoughts, and she glanced in his direction. But not directly at him, because then she'd be back in fantasyland where she'd started. She noticed he was packing up the remnants of their lunch into his backpack. Deciding to break herself out of this funk, she pushed herself up to her feet.

"Yep. Race ya." And she took off, running as fast as she could as she went downhill and avoided the trees and rocks in the woods. She heard him swear behind her and laughed as she made her way down the hill. She couldn't help the smile that surfaced as she ran. She loved a challenge, and even more, she loved challenging Bellamy. They were the two most competitive people she knew.

All of a sudden, he was next to her, grinning at her as he passed her. Frowning, she upped her pace and tried to catch up with him. She watched as the backpack bounced on his back as he ran. His silver basketball shorts were slipping lower and lower on his hips as he ran. He torso, gloriously bare, flexed and twisted as he navigated the descent. She could be satisfied with this view even if she didn't win the race.

And she didn't. She finally broke out of the trees and found him leaning against a rock. He didn't even look like he was breathing hard, damn it. He grinned at her, and she was sure he was amused by how much of a drowned rat she looked like.

"Welcome back, Princess. Would you like a bottle of water?" She glared at him. This was the Bellamy she knew. And was annoyed by. She could handle annoyance. It was way better than constantly noticing his body and wondering if he was noticing hers.

Clarke snagged the water bottle he held out for her and rolled her eyes at his smirk. Heaven, she thought as she took a sip of the cold liquid. She wasn't sure how he'd managed to keep it so cold, but it was refreshing.

"You know, the next time you want me to take my shirt off, all you have to do is ask." Bellamy's smirk deepened and Clarke choked on her water.

"You think that's what this was about?" She sputtered.

"I know you like looking at my body. It's okay to admit it." She knew he was teasing, but she was not about to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was right.

"You wish."

She could have sworn he murmured something under his breath, but she couldn't tell what it was. Probably something about how infuriating she was. "We should head back. We need to check on the car before the shop closes for the night. They said we might be able to get back on the road by tomorrow."

For some reason, that didn't sit well with her. Maybe it was the idea of being in a car with him for another few days. Maybe it was because, despite the weirdness, she wanted to see where she and Bellamy could go. She knew that would probably never happen, but as much as she tried to not to, she wanted to know what could happen between them. "Yeah, let's head back."

* * *

Bellamy could feel some weird energy passing between them. She wasn't uninterested like she usually was. It wasn't that she was suddenly fawning all over him, but she seemed almost unsure of insulting him. Maybe him saving her from a snake bite had had an effect on her. Maybe she was finally realizing he wasn't a terrible guy.

She might be realizing all of that, but that didn't mean she was starting to see him in a new light. She'd been adamant about the fact that she hadn't kissed him back because it was him, and it was time he accepted that. Didn't mean he'd stop having dirty dreams about her, but it did mean he'd stop trying to fluster her. For all their bickering, he realized what a great girl she was. Frustrating as hell most of the time, but she was great. She was a children's doctor who worked at a low income clinic. That was approaching sainthood in his book. Especially because Octavia had told him once after a particularly rough fight between he and Clarke that she had passed up a high paying surgeon position at a massive hospital in LA.

And she kept him on his toes. He wouldn't give that up by making things uncomfortable between them. They'd start avoiding each other and that just wouldn't work for him.

They arrived at the mechanic's shop to check on the car. "How's she doing?" Clarke asked.

"Well, we get the part in tomorrow, so we can install it and hopefully have you on the road the next morning."

Bellamy felt relief rush through him. Just because he'd decided not to try and pursue Clarke in a real sense, that didn't mean he didn't want to spend more time with her. He kind of felt like they were in their own little bubble and he didn't want it to pop just yet.

"Wow, okay. That's a day longer than we expected, right?" When she received a nod in response, she turned to look at him. "One of us should call Octavia and let her know."

"I can do it." Bellamy turned and walked away from her, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. Octavia wouldn't be happy, but she might be pleased to know that the two of them were actually kind of getting along. He dialed her cell phone number and waited.

"Please tell me you're calling me from a car in the middle of nowhere," She said when she answered the call.

"You're half right. I'm in the middle of nowhere." His sister groaned. "I know, but we just found out they'll get the part tomorrow, so we can be on the road the morning after that. We'll be there in time for the rehearsal dinner."

"So I don't have to actually murder you."

"No, you don't. And you might be interested to know that we're actually getting along. Kind of."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, neither of us are dead in a ditch. And I saved her from a snake bite earlier today. I think she finally appreciates that I'm not trying to ruin her life."

"Do you finally appreciate that she doesn't think you're the bane of her existence?"

"She hasn't mentioned that, so no, I didn't. But she hasn't been as mean to me as she usually is, so I figured something was up."

"I'm telling you, the two of you would be great friends. Give her a legitimate shot."

"I am. She's the one that doesn't want anything to do with me. Tell her to lighten up."

"I'm done talking to you right now. Be nice to her. Get here soon. I'll see you."

The call was over immediately after that, so Bellamy pocketed his cell phone. He'd never thought Octavia would be a bridezilla, but he was pretty sure that's what a bridezilla sounded like. She had a point though. He should at least extend the olive branch. Then he could say he'd done everything he could to be friends with her.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello, everyone! I've missed you! I'm sorry this took so long, but readjusting to my schedule has been a bit more challenging than I anticipated. Regardless, the new chapter is here! I hope you like it! As always, read, review, and enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter Eight**

The hotel room was small, almost too small for Clarke's liking. They were back, and getting ready for the night. Just one more day and she'd be able to get out of this sufficatingly small space with him. Well, one more day and a car ride. Then she would be home free and she could stop feeling this weird tension in the back of her neck and the pit of her stomach all the time.

Bellamy was brushing his teeth, completely ignorant of the fact that she didn't know how they were going to get to sleep that night. With no couch, they were sleeping in the same bed. She was tempted to suggest putting up a wall of pillows between them, for her own sanity, but she knew he'd tease her mercilessly about not being able to sleep with a guy.

Truth was, she was fairly certain that if she slept with him—even just actually slept—she'd never be able to sleep alone again. And that was a problem, because she didn't currently have anyone who could be on her beck and call to cuddle her until she fell asleep.

But he was so blissfully unaware of the turmoil in her brain. Lucky bastard.

Trying to get her head back into a better place, she started to figure out what she was going to wear for the remainder of the trip. She had her bridesmaid dress for the wedding, her black dress for the rehearsal dinner, and then a few assorted outfits that would last her through the next day and the rest of the drive. But it left her one outfit short if she planned on sleeping in clothing that night. And given that she had spent the day sweating in the clothes she was wearing, she wasn't wearing them to bed too.

So she shifted through and finally figured she could wear the loose white t shirt she was wearing tomorrow and just toss the jeans underneath in the morning. But she should probably check with Bellamy before going to bed pantsless. She approached the bathroom timidly, unsure of how he would react to her request.

"Bellamy?" His eyes flicking up briefly to meet hers in the mirror was her only indication that he was paying attention to her words. "Is it okay with you if I sleep without pants tonight?"

He choked on his toothpaste and pulled his toothbrush from his mouth, sputtering. Okay, so maybe she could have phrased that a little better.

"Relax, Bellamy, I'm not hitting on you. I ran out of clean clothes. I was expecting to be able to use the washing machine at the estate well before this. And it's not like I wouldn't have underwear on." His face drained of color at that. "Okay, you know what? I know you don't really find me attractive. That kiss was reactionary. Spending so much time in a small space with someone, and all that. But I know you're not really interested in me. So why is this an issue?"

He waited a while to speak. She almost thought he wasn't going to answer her, when he bent down and spit the toothpaste from his mouth and rinsed. But then he raised his head and said, "Do you want some pants? I have basketball shorts I'm not planning on wearing."

Not what she was expecting, but her bruised ego and her traitorous hormones reminded her that pants might not actually be a bad idea. Her stubborn pride resisted kowtowing to him, but she figured her pride could take a seat for the night. "Yeah, that would work."

He nodded shortly and pushed past her out into the main room. She wasn't sure whether she should follow him or not, but decided to brush her own teeth and wash her face before she went to sleep. When she returned to the bedroom, a pair of purple shorts laid out on the bed. Bellamy had his back to her as he sorted through the things on the bedside table. He must have sensed her presence, because he said, "Let me know when you're done changing. Take your time."

And he did wait patiently as she changed her shirt and slipped into his shorts. They were very baggy, but the elastic waistband managed to hold them up on her hips. "I'm done," she said softly. He turned and shot her a small smile. She slid under the sheet, but noticed he stayed on top of the sheets and under the comforter. And then he flicked off the light.

* * *

She smelled too damn good for his health. She was too close. He had made sure that he was on top of the sheet, so that if his mind went off the rails and he started having a sex dream featuring the woman sharing a bed with him, he wouldn't actually end up humping her. But her nearness was keeping him from sleeping.

He'd been trying to fall asleep for almost forty minutes now, to no avail. She just smelled so sweet, that every time he closed his eyes, her scent wafted into his nose and intensified. He glanced over, noticing her eyes were closed. So he took his time and studied her face. She looked so calm and peaceful in her sleep, like there wasn't a demon that sometimes lived in her body.

"Stop it, you're burning a hole in my head." Her lips moved, but her eyes remained closed.

"Sorry, can't sleep. I just wanted to see if you were having trouble sleeping too."

She sighed. "Actually, I am. I don't know why I can't sleep, but every time I close my eyes, my mind won't shut up."

"What are you thinking about?" He didn't actually expect her to tell him, but he wanted her to know he cared.

"Everything, really." Her eyes flicked open and she turned her head toward him. "How's everything with your house?"

He stiffened. That wasn't exactly a topic he enjoyed discussing. But if she was willing to try and see him in a different light, he wasn't going to turn down that opportunity. "It's hard. I don't have a lot of spare cash right now, what with having everything rebuilt and rebought. I'm actually sleeping on a blow up mattress in my living room right now." He added with a small laugh.

Her brow furrowed. "You don't have a bed?"

"The master bedroom hasn't been fully repaired yet, so no furniture has been replaced, either. Hence the blow up mattress."

"Do you want to stay with me?" Her eyes widened momentarily, as if she herself couldn't believe she'd just offered such a thing. But she had, and she was prideful—and kind—enough not to take it back.

"Sleep on your couch?"

"I have a guest room."

"Why would you do that? Why would you care?"

"Contrary to popular opinion, Bellamy, I don't hate you. And I don't like the thought of anyone I know sleeping on the floor in their living room."

"I have an air mattress."

She waved her hand in dismissal. "Semantics. You're less than a foot from where people's feet go. Stay with me."

He didn't know how long he'd wanted to hear her say those words until she said them. And then he suddenly felt a weight lifted off his chest. "Are you sure?"

"Of course. I wouldn't offer if I wasn't." And he could hear it in her voice, too. Whether she was really invested in his well being or just too stubborn to take back her offer, she meant what she was saying.

"Thank you." He paused, searching her face again. "This getting along thing is pretty nice, huh?"

"It's not so bad." She finally turned to face him. "How about we make a deal?"

"I'm listening."

"Until we get there, we don't fight. Don't get me wrong, I'm not gonna stop being snarky. But I mean we stop trading insults and fighting. We just get along and be nice to each other, until we get to the wedding."

He contemplated it for a moment. A stupid, hopeful part of him had hoped she was going to make some kind of friends with benefits pact, but this seemed like a good step towards being actual friends. And he would take that. "Sounds good to me."

"Okay, good." And with that, she rolled onto her side and closed her eyes once more.

* * *

Why was she so warm? Clarke woke up, overheated. She didn't usually overheat in her sleep, but she was most definitely too hot. As she came to her senses, she realized that she was squished up against something solid and strong. And warm, which probably explained her temperature predicament.

And it didn't take her long after that to realize that that strong, solid thing was Bellamy's body, and she was pressed all against the length of it. Her pulse quickened as she took in the sensation. After all, she would probable never feel this again. She glanced down and realized she must have kicked the sheet down to the end of the bed, hooked a leg around his hips, and placed her head into the curve of his shoulder.

She tried to extract herself from his grip without waking him up. After all, they had agreed to be nice, and she didn't think she'd be able to do that if she hadn't had her coffee. But as she gently began twisting her way out of his arm—which had somehow snuck under her back in the middle of the night—he slid it down her back and grasped her ass in a firm grip. He hauled her closer, so close that her nose brushed the side of his neck. Why did he smell this good after a full night of sleep?

And of course, she couldn't ignore the massive hand currently caressing her ass. Those damn hormones were more than happy to stay this way all morning…and they would be even more happy if she crawled on top of him so his grasp on her bottom could rock the center of her against his erection. The thought of having this man between her legs sent a gush of hot liquid heading toward the area.

Naturally, he chose that moment to roll towards her and open his eyes. It took him another few seconds before he realized the position they were in. And when he did, a massive grin split his ridiculously handsome face. "Nice ass, Princess."

She shot him a glare as she shoved out of his arms, not realizing that he had a grip on her shorts. Or rather, his shorts. And as she moved away, and he held the shorts in place, they began to slip off her hips. Not enough to leave her pantsless, but her bright pink lacy underwear was definitely on display. Unsure of what to do next, she glanced at him. And found his gaze pinned on her underwear. "C'mon, Bellamy, they're just panties. I know for a fact you've seen them before."

"I've never seen them on you." She thought his voice sounded a little more hoarse than usual, but brushed that off as sleepiness. He was definitely not hitting on her.

"Let's just get ready for the day." She started to push herself up and off the bed, but he snagged her hand and tugged her closer.

"Not yet." He held one hand captive, then used the other to tug her body closer.

"What are you doing?"

"Being nice." That definitely didn't feel like what was happening, but she wasn't able to move herself away from him. He was like a damn magnet.

"What are you being nice about?"

"Patience, Princess. I was about to pay you a compliment." The hand that had been at her waist brushed up to her face. He used it to gently tip her face to the side, then skimmed her nose along the exposed column of her neck. "You smell so sweet. And it's not perfume, because you showered before we went to bed. This is all you, and it's so sweet."

She had lost the ability to use her lungs. Air was not going in or out of them. And his eyes held her in place as she finally took a shuddering breath of air. "Th-thank you."

He tilted his lips in a smile. "You're welcome." He planted a soft kiss on her cheek. "Do you want another one?"

He probably meant another compliment, but her mind was stuck on how his lips felt against her cheek. She wanted another kiss. But that was a monumentally bad idea. So with much effort, she finally pushed him back. "No. I need to get coffee." And she stood up, walked away from the bed. Even though what she really wanted was to climb back in and stay forever with him.


End file.
